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During Tire Technology Expo 2023, which takes place from March 21-23 in Hannover, Germany, Michelin won two international awards, bestowed by a panel of experts from the tire industry, the academic world, and the press: • The Tire Manufacturer of the Year award, won for the sixth time, an absolute record. • The Environmental Achievement of the Year- Tire Design award, for the first two tires approved for road use (cars and buses) that include 45% and 58% sustainable materials respectively. This award belongs to a new category, rewarding the technological advances in the industry that are most respectful of the environment.

In this article, Weibold highlights the ways tire recycling industry can adapt to future changes. It also analyses established and new solutions to reduce the need for inter-continental end-of-life tire trading. As a recycling industry we have a particular responsibility to help reduce CO2 emissions.

Discarded tyres pose significant environmental and health risks, accumulating in landfills, and polluting ecosystems with toxic substances. The current scale of tyre waste exceeds the reach of existing recycling efforts, with over half of Europe’s waste being incinerated or being exported to Asia and Africa for environmentally damaging disposal, underscoring the vital need for innovative solutions in tyre waste management. Moreover, the increasing adoption of electric vehicles will further exacerbate the tyre waste problem as tyres used for electric vehicles wear down faster. CIRCTEC, a UK-headquartered technology company, has developed a proprietary technology for decomposing old tyres through pyrolysis, (a process that transforms waste into valuable circular materials through thermal decomposition in an oxygen-free environment), and for upgrading the products to high-quality recycled chemicals and renewable fuels.

Christian Konvalina has done innovative pioneering work at the Semperit site. Its scrap tire recycling facility produces valuable raw materials – among other things for new tires. In Austria and Germany alone, 700,000 tons of old tires are thrown away every year.

To harmonise enforcement in each EU Member State and check the current level of compliance regarding obligations imposed on industry by the REACH, CLP and PIC regulations, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) installed a forum which coordinates various enforcement projects. One of the main projects are the REACH-EN-FORCE (REF) projects. The REF-projects are carried out by inspectors based in the national authorities in the participating Member States. The resulting information is collected by ECHA and the Forum Working Group. A final report on the findings of the REF-project is then produced. Ultimately, the goal of the REF-projects is to improve the quality of enforcement in the Member States but also to improve the compliance of registrants with the REACH, CLP, and PIC regulations.

After a successful funding round of 15 million EUR in 2023, Contec S.A. takes the next step in its expansion plans by onboarding Wojciech Paruzel as Chief Operations Officer. Wojciech Paruzel is an electrical engineer and a Wrocław University of Science and Technology graduate with an MBA in Business Management. His career spans over 25 years, with experience in the construction, automotive, and technology industries. He was previously the COO of the J.S. Hamilton Group, where he improved operational efficiency with selected strategies across Central and Eastern Europe.

According to company’s statement, the project, the investment value of which has not been disclosed, will utilize pyrolysis and hydrotreating technologies to convert end-of-life tires into renewable drop-in advanced biofuels that can be used in diesel and petrol and qualify as development fuels under the UK’s Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RFTO).

Tire producer Continental A.G will start applying recovered carbon black (rCB) obtained via tire pyrolysis method and produced by German Pyrolyx A.G. after two companies have reached a five-year deal. According to the contract, Pyrolyx will be supplying some 10,000 metric tons of rCB annually to Continental’s facilities in numerous countries. This will help Pyrolyx to increase its sales and grow in North America and eastern Europe as additional plants will be commissioned as part of the agreement.

According to recent media release, Rice University lab’s optimized flash process could reduce carbon emissions, which could be be where the rubber truly hits the road. Rice University scientists have optimized a process to convert waste from end-of-life rubber and tires into graphene that can, in turn, be used to strengthen concrete. The environmental benefits of adding graphene to concrete are clear, chemist James Tour says. “Concrete is the most-produced material in the world, and simply making it produces as much as 9% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions,” Tour said. “If we can use less concrete in our roads, buildings and bridges, we can eliminate some of the emissions at the very start.”